We have established a strong reputation for delivering high quality, large scale, national skills development programmes for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. From outdoor learning and online safety to money management and mental health, we reach and engage young people who don’t traditionally have access to personal development opportunities.
Active Youth
Active Youth is a Sport England funded programme that helps young people who are typically inactive or less active to enjoy active lifestyles. Working with local youth organisations from the UK Youth Movement across England, we support over 5000 young people across 2 years of programme delivery. Active Youth allows young people to enjoy the benefits of physical activity on their own terms, with supported funding that allows young people to try new activities and experiences in order to develop high levels of physical literacy and an understanding of a healthy lifestyle.
Be Internet Citizens
UK Youth is currently delivering Google’s digital citizenship programme, Be Internet Citizens. This is an educational programme that aims to inform young people about media literacy, critical thinking and digital citizenship, with the aim of encouraging young people to have a positive voice online. Working with a network of partners, we hope to engage thousands of young people aged 13+ in Be Internet Citizens across the UK.
Dream It Real
Dream It Real is a global initiative that was initially launched by Coach’s philanthropic Coach Foundation in 2018. It aims to support and build a generation of young people who will have the confidence and skills to truly act on and follow their dreams across the world. In the UK, the Coach Foundation partners with UK Youth to expand the Dream It Real mission to reach young people in exciting and meaningful ways.
EmpowHER
EmpowHER inspires young women and girls to lead change in their community. The programme, delivered in partnership with the British Red Cross and Young Women’s Trust with funding from Spirit of 2012 and the #iwill Fund aims to address low levels of wellbeing amongst young women and girls in the UK by empowering them to have a voice, be heard and give back to their local community.
The #iwill Fund is made possible thanks to £50 million joint investment from The National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to support young people to access high quality social action opportunities.
Visit our EmpowHER Toolkit for resourcesFutureProof
FutureProof safeguards young people by equipping them with the critical thinking skills needed to stay safe. Our innovative programme, funded by the Monday Charitable Trust, strengthens local youth services and upskills youth workers to better support young people to stay safe, cope with uncertainty and build vital life skills.
FutureProof empowers youth workers to support the changing needs of young people and identify risks young people might experience such as poor mental health, online safety concerns and grooming risks.
Generation Code
The Generation Code Accelerator programme, run by UK Youth in partnership with Microsoft, aims to address the lack of embedded, sustainable digital provision in the youth sector by inspiring and upskilling youth workers to become Digital Changemakers.
The programme provides access to expert technical training, resources, digital skills workshops, grant opportunities, mentorship and a network of partnerships to enable Digital Changemakers to create a sustainable eco-system of digital provision in local communities across the UK.
Resources and learning can be found on www.ukyouth.org/digital-resource-hub/
Outdoor Activators
Outdoor Activators engages young people from communities in Newcastle, Coventry, Northumberland and Leicestershire in meaningful social action and outdoor physical activity, allowing them to develop crucial skills to build bright futures. The funding has been provided in partnership between Sport England and the #iwill Fund. Outdoor Activators provides the structure, support and seed funding for young people to lead quality social action programmes that develop their life skills and increase their local communities access to physical activity in the outdoors.
The #iwill Fund is made possible thanks to £50 million joint investment from The National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to support young people to access high quality social action opportunities.
Reach Up
Reach Up engages 16 to 25 year olds who are either NEET, at risk of becoming NEET or underemployed (e.g. involuntarily working part-time after failing to secure full-time employment) and empowers them with the confidence, skills and experience needed to feel ready for the work place.
The programme, in partnership with Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP), addresses the key issues young people face surrounding employment through a range of activities. These include workshops delivered by youth workers and CCEP volunteers; networking masterclasses; mock interviews; and real life experience through spending a day in the life of the CCEP’s Field Sales team and even running their own Community Café! At the end of the programme, young people have the employability skills and confidence to secure full-time employment and thrive within the workplace.
Sound Creators
Sound Creators addresses the worryingly low levels of wellbeing and high levels of social isolation and loneliness amongst young female carers in the UK and supports them to express themselves through the exploration and creation of music. Over the course of the programme, the young carers participate in wellbeing activities, talk about the connection between music and emotions, learn to play different instruments of their choice, and produce a song, radio show, or podcast.
Sound Creators is part of The Carers’ Music Fund, made possible by funding Spirit of 2012 has received via the Tampon Tax Fund from DCMS.
UPS Road Code
UPS Road Code helps keep young people safe in and around cars and forms the UK arm of the UPS Foundation’s global programme. The road hazard awareness programme engages 13-19 year olds and provides them with the skills and confidence to speak up in potentially dangerous driving situations.
Our innovative approach uses virtual reality technology and driving simulators in workshops co-delivered by youth workers and UPS driver volunteers. As well as providing ‘behind the wheel’ experience, UPS Road Code focusses on passenger safety to make young people aware of how to keep themselves and others safe in and around cars.
Your Space
Your Space is a detached youth work initiative which reaches vulnerable or disadvantaged young people on their own terms, at a time and in a space which works for them. This pilot programme funded by The Clothworkers’ Foundation targets local areas where young people are exposed to extreme risks such as serious violence, gang affiliation, grooming and drug and alcohol abuse.
Your Space develops local partnerships, with key community agencies to create collaborative solutions and find innovative ways to meet the needs of young people, working with them on their terms, so they have equal say and can participate meaningfully in the support they receive.
